WHO confirms first human death of bird flu in Mexico alarms rise

Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that a person in Mexico had succumbed to the first confirmed human case of infection with the H5N2 variant of bird flu globally. The patient, who passed away on April 24, exhibited symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, and nausea. According to the WHO, the individual had "no history of exposure to poultry or other animals" and had "multiple underlying medical conditions."

Mexican health authorities notified the WHO of the confirmed case of human infection with the virus on May 23, following the hospitalization of a 59-year-old individual in Mexico City.

This case represents the "first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus reported globally," stated the WHO.

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The source of exposure to the virus remains unknown, although H5N2 cases have been detected in poultry in the country. The WHO indicated that cases of H5N2 affected poultry in the state of Michoacan in March, with additional outbreaks identified in the State of Mexico.

However, establishing a definitive link between the human case and the poultry infections has proven challenging thus far. The WHO assessed the risk to people as "low" pending further investigation.

Meanwhile, a distinct variant of bird flu, H5N1, has been spreading among dairy cow herds in the United States in recent weeks, with a small number of cases reported among humans. Authorities have clarified that none of these cases involve human-to-human transmission, with the disease primarily transmitted from cattle to humans.